93-year-old Andrea saved her grandchildren from the Haiti earthquake. She is now homeless in Port-au-Prince and has young children dependent on her for survival.

Andrea is just one of the many older people in Haiti left to care for young children.

Thousands of older people care for children

Because of the impact of HIV and AIDS on middle generations, and because parents often leave Haiti to seek work, thousands of older people in Haiti were caring for younger family members even before the earthquake struck.

This makes them and their grandchildren one of the country’s most at-risk groups.

Our emergency response team in Haiti is currently working with other organisations to reach vulnerable people. Together, we plan to set up help points to make sure those most in need get the right kind of assistance.

Help points to reach those most in need

A consortium of humanitarian agencies, including HelpAge International, wants to set up help points in eight areas in Port-au-Prince and one in Petit Goave.

Each point will contain two staff to deal with enquiries and provide information. A mobile team will go out into affected communities to provide immediate relief and services to vulnerable people.

Other agencies involved in the consortium are: Handicap International, Christian Blinden Mission, Centre for Special Education, Haitian Society for the Blind, Ministry of Social Affairs, Healing Hands for Haiti, CADOR and other local organisations.

The strategy is being discussed and an action plan will be set out. If the model works well it could be rolled out to other areas, for example Jacmel.

How you can help

We urgently need more funds to help us get aid to those who really need it and to support longer-term relief.

If you are a UK citizen, please donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Haiti Earthquake Appeal now.

If you live outside the UK, you can donate to our Haiti relief efforts through:

• World Granny

• HelpAge USA

• HelpAge Germany

Read more about our response to the Haiti earthquake emergency

Read more about HelpAge's partners in Haiti

Go to our Haiti earthquake photogallery on Flickr